So in the true spirit of hubris, I am (slightly) behind. Let us imagine that Day 1 of the WoProComp was yesterday, Monday, and I am reporting on it today, Tuesday (which is normal, right?), and all will be well with the world once again.

P R O J E C T T E R M I N A T I O N C O M P L E T E.

My first project to be completed was the planting of several flowers/plants. I had bought the pots weeks ago, and have been putting off the purchasing of said plants and planting them since then. Well, I am proud to say, this project has been annihilated. Rather, terminated. Asta la vista, baby!

Before:

Before...

After:

After - basking in the sun.

Overall score: B+. Although I am quite satisfied with the general outcome, I am not particularly fond of the coloration of the two pots that I painted (can you guess which ones?) Problem is, I could not leave them just their plasticy terra-cotta grey, but once I started painting them, I knew I had to finish. Work was coming quickly upon me, the succulents still needed to be planted, and so I rushed to get done. Maybe I’ll repaint them later. Maybe.

Those of us who are creative, artistic types, or who are into the mothering bit, or both, have a tendency to start projects and never finish them. The inspiration is there in the beginning, but then you get sidetracked, disappointed with how your project is turning out, distracted by the random crying child, or inspired to do something else. The result: an unfinished, unrealized sketch/draft/idea that could have been a masterpiece . Call it what you will, but I will be honest: what we lack is basic, boring old discipline . But, ladies and gentlemen, the time has come to bring these half-finished creations and half-hearted efforts to fruition!

And so, I hereby pronounce the first ever Week of Project Completion! (I am open to more creative week name suggestions). Over the course of the seven days comprising the week, I will endeavor to finish seven projects that have been idling for weeks or even months in the recesses of my home or my mind. Incidentally, the week will start on Sunday, July 25th, and end on Saturday, July 31st. I say “incidentally” because July 25th just happens to be my sister’s birthday, and she is a notorious procrastinator and project-starter-and-not-finisher. So, my dear Lizard, may this be a twisted sort of birthday present for you, so that you too may participate in this first but not last Week of Project Completion and feel compelled to bring at least seven projects you started to completion.

In fact, I would like to invite all of my 2.7 readers to participate! Feel free to blog and/or leave comments about your progress on my entries during each of the seven days of this week, keeping us updated on your victories over unfinished/unrealized creations. This way we may feel more accountable to do what we set out to do, and more encouraged as we see others succeeding.

All “Unfinished Projects” should fit into one of the three categories below:

– Category One: These are the artistic unfinished projects – a partially painted canvas, a roll of film shot last spring and still undeveloped, a short story, written but not edited, a collection of poetry, edited and revised to death, but not formatted for print…

– Category Two: These are the homemaker unfinished projects – pots bought to plant flowers weeks ago, and still no flowers in them, curtains and curtain rod, neatly stowed under the bed and waiting to be hung for months, furniture fix ideas, interior design alterations…

– Category Three: These are the thought projects, revolving in your frazzled mind like laundry on spin cycle. You and I need to do the things we’ve been thinking about needing to get done for N number of weeks, and get some new thoughts! These include thoughts on trying out new recipes, new bedtime routines, or new discipline techniques. But careful here: make sure these category three thought projects don’t turn into another Incomplete. In other words – you have to finish it in the one day allotted.

A few words about my situation: This Sunday I am working 1am – 4am (hey, up there in space they don’t care that it’s night here on Earth) and Monday I’m working 7pm – 6am. On top of that, Friday evening after work I am flying out to San Diego , and returning Sunday, the last day of the Week of PC. So that bodes well for my success, right? Well that is the point: we don’t finish these projects because there is always something going on, something more important to do, distractions, distractions…

So, let’s think of the project we’ll tackle, post about them over the weekend (like New Year’s Resolutions) and then get to finishing them!